India’s reservoirs now have 155% more water than last yr

Live storage in 123 reservoirs is at 66.372 billion cubic metres (BCM) or 39 per cent of total live storage capacity

Storage in several of the country’s reservoirs has steadily increased. There is 155 per cent more water than in 2019 and 119 per cent more than average storage in the dams in the past 10 years, as rains continue to lashparts of the country.

Data from the Central Water Commission (CWC) July 23, 2020 — which monitored from 123 reservoirs — said live storage available in the reservoirs was at 66.372 billion cubic metres (BCM) or 39 per cent of total live storage capacity.

This increased from 32 per cent recorded on July 2, 34 per cent recorded on July 9 and 36 per cent recorded on July 16. Live storage in reservoirs was 42.826 BCM in the corresponding period last year.

Of the 123 reservoirs, 92 reported more than 80 per cent normal storage. [Readmore]

Nod for ₹240-crore works for improvement of dams

Works to be carried out on 16 dams, barrages and regulators under DRIP phase-II

The State government has given in-principle approval for carrying out works to the tune of ₹240 crore in Phase II of the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) on dams under the Irrigation Department.

The WB-aided project is aimed at enhancing the safety and operational performance of selected dams. Last year, the department had listed 16 dams, barrages and regulators managed by it for DRIP Phase II.

According to a proposal submitted by the department, ₹181 crore will be spent on rehabilitation and management planning for dams and associated appurtenances. A sum of ₹42 crore will cover institutional strengthening activities. A sum of ₹2 crore will cover project management activities.

DRIP II will cover 14 dams on which work had been started under the ongoing DRIP Phase I, besides the Pothundi and Maniyar dams.[Readmore]

Pakistan: China-backed hydropower projects irk locals, environmentalists

The public's growing dissatisfaction has triggered mass protests and destruction of public property time and again. Still, the problem is expected to worsen in the coming years as the mismatch between energy supply and demand in the country is projected to widen.

Prime Minister Imran Khan last week vowed to build the “biggest dam in Pakistan’s history” after he inaugurated the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam in the Gilgit-Baltistan region. He said the project will benefit the people living in the area. “The decision to build this dam was taken 50 years ago. There can be no better site for constructing a dam; it is a natural dam,” the premier said. [Readmore]

Breach in Amreli’s Triveni Dam

Rajkot: Influx of water in Surajvadi River due to constant rain in the region caused a five feet breach in the Triveni Dam near Badhada in Amreli district on Saturday afternoon.

According to the Amreli district administration officials, the dam provides water to 10 villages including Bhadada, Navu Bhadada, Shantinagar, Jabal and Abrahampara. “Due to the breach in the dam, Surajvadi River is flowing from bank to bank,” said Jabal village sarpanch Bhupendra Khuman.[Readmore]

Indus dam project has Chinese footprint

The Diamer-Bhasha dam project is in Gilgit-Baltistan, which is ethnically closer to Kargil district of Ladakh. Its political context is constricting as China and Pakistan are connected through the Karakoram highway that traverses through the region. Its control lies with the federal government.

Pakistan has decided to go ahead with the 450 MW Diamer-Bhasha dam in the Gilgit-Baltistan area on the Indus river. Diamer-Bhasha dam is being jointly constructed by a Chinese state-run firm and a commercial entity of Pakistan’s military. A slew of infrastructural projects being pursued by China and Pakistan in the region, including the dam, are taking place in the context of reinforcement of the federal government’s impulse to continue the old structures of control and micro-management.[Readmore]

Protest against check dam at Thengaipattinam fishing harbour

Fishermen across the State have planned a black flag agitation on Friday demanding removal of a check dam in the Thengaipattinam fishing harbour in Kanniyakumari district.

They said that the dam being constructed to prevent salt water intrusion had led to sand accretion at the mouth, which resulted in deaths of several fishermen. “In the past few weeks alone two men died in separate incidents. From the time construction began in 2019, several deaths have happened. It is being constructed without the permission of the fishers. If the work is continued, the harbour would be destroyed. We don’t have enough space to anchor 700 mechanised boats and 4,000 traditional craft. They are not taking up work for our development,” said A. Sesadimai, president, Thoothur Deep Sea Boats Association. [Readmore]

Brahmaputra dams: A China-India political quagmire

The Brahmaputra River runs from its origin in western Tibet through India before flowing into the sea in Bangladesh. Photo: Pfly / WikiCommons

Both the 12th and 13th Five-Year Plans adopted by the Chinese State Council have called for large-scale expansion of hydropower projects in the southwest, including all three provinces of Tibet. The Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra River) is one of the main international rivers identified for hydropower expansion in Tibet. [Readmore]

Bhakra dam’s water levels brought down by 41 ft to prevent floods this year

Sources in the BBMB said water was released continuously downstream in summer months, irrespective of whether there was a demand for irrigation on several days, to create the space so as to prevent flooding during monsoons in Punjab.

O PREVENT a repeat of last year’s floods, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has created sufficient cushioning in the Bhakra dam by bringing its level down by 41 ft, ahead of monsoon season. However, the Punjab government’s much-needed project to canalise its rivers, which is aimed at preventing floods, is yet to see light of day.[Readmore]

Almatti dam: Devendra Fadnavis demands agreement with Karnataka

KOLHAPUR: The onset of monsoon has once again brought the issue of Karnataka-based Almatti damto the fore with former chief minister Devendra Fadnavisdemanding to have a permanent arrangement on the release of water.

In a letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Fadnavis has underlined the need for having some agreement with Karnataka on the release of water from Almatti dam. 

Fadnavis, in the letter, has said that water from several rivers and dams in western Maharashtra goes into Almatti dam. “Backwater of Almatti dam cause flood in Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur districts,” Fadnavis said, adding that increase in the discharge from Almatti dam was the only solution to the problem[Readmore]

Indian reservoirs brimming as monsoon advances

Storage levels in 123 reservoirs monitored by Central Water Commission was 194 % of the levels of corresponding period in 2019

Major reservoirs in India are already brimming and their storage level is much more than what it was this time in 2019, even as the southwest monsoon advances over India. 

The live storage available in 123 reservoirs monitored by Central Water Commission (CWC) was 194 per cent of the live storage of corresponding period of last year and 171 per cent of storage of average of the last 10 years.

Live storage available in these reservoirs now is 56.725 billion cubic metres (BCM), which is 33 per cent of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs, according to a weekly bulletin issued by CWC on June 25, 2020.

The live storage available in these reservoirs for the corresponding period in 2019 was 29.166 BCM and the average of last 10 years live storage was 33.207 BCM. [Readmore]

Himalayan Quake and a High-Risk Project

While many projects with huge environmental and social costs have been opposed, the TDP is different, for even government-nominated experts had wanted it scrapped

Leading seismologists seem to agree on the likelihood of a very high intensity Himalayan earthquake, whose effects may inflict huge damage on the hilly areas and the dense urban settlements of the north Indian plains, including Delhi and around. Considering the multiple recent tremors felt in the National Capital Region (NCR), there are growing concerns about the “chain impact” that a high-intensity Himalayan quake could have. That is, it could damage critical infrastructure and have a ripple effect on inhabitation near them. It is for these reasons that there is a need to reassess the risks from one of the most controversial projects in recent decades, the Tehri Dam Project (TDP). [Readmore]

Rubber Dam Market Key Trends, Manufacturers in Globe, Benefits, Opportunities to 2025

The Global Rubber Dam Market report by UpMarketResearch.com provides a detailed analysis of the area marketplace expanding; competitive landscape; global, regional, and country-level market size; impact market players; market growth analysis; market share; opportunities analysis; product launches; recent developments; sales analysis; segmentation growth; technological innovations; and value chain optimization. This is a latest report, covering the current COVID-19 impact on the market. The pandemic of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected every aspect of life globally. This has brought along several changes in market conditions. The rapidly changing market scenario and initial and future assessment of the impact is covered in the report.[Readmore]

India-Nepal friction casts shadow on proposed Pancheshwar multipurpose dam project

The project first conceived 24 years ago in 1996, had picked up pace in 2014 after the Narendra Modi-led NDA government came to power.

New Delhi: The friction in India-Nepal ties over the latter including three disputed areas in its new political map has cast a shadow on the future of the proposed Pancheshwar multipurpose dam project that the two countries are jointly planning to build on the border.

The Pancheshwar project will come up across the Mahakali river, where it forms an international boundary between the two countries. It straddles Uttarakhand in India and the Far Western Development Region of Nepal. According to India, the river draws its waters from the Mahakali river (known as Sarada in India), which originates at Kalapani, one of the disputed sites in Uttarakhand that Nepal has now claimed as its own. [Readmore]

Bhakra, Pong dams ready for increased inflow during monsoon

Sources in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) said that the water level in Bhakra dam, as on Monday, was 1580.41 feet. This is 100 feet less than the total capacity of the dam, which stands at around 1680 feet.

Ahead of the monsoon season, the Bhakra and Pong dams have created sufficient cushion space to receive the increased inflow of water the coming weeks.

Sources in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) said that the water level in Bhakra dam, as on Monday, was 1580.41 feet. This is 100 feet less than the total capacity of the dam, which stands at around 1680 feet. Officials say that with the present rate of inflow of water as well as outflow, there was no reason for any worries.[Readmore]

India-Bhutan ink hydropower pact

New Delhi: At a time when India has strained relations with both China and Nepal to the east, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar assured Himalayan neighbour Bhutan that India is its “special and privileged partner” who stands together with Bhutan in dealing with the health and economic challenges posed by the Coronavirus pandemic.

The assurance was furnished at the signing of the Concession Agreement for the 600 MW Kholongchhu (Joint Venture) Hydroelectric Project between the Royal Government of Bhutan and Kholongchhu Hydro Energy Limited (KHEL) which itself is a joint venture of Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) of Bhutan and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) of India. This is the first joint venture Hydroelectric Project between India and Bhutan but New Delhi has been boosting Bhutanese capacity in hydropower generation through several projects [Readmore]